Her Nightmare
by Singer1108
Summary: Rukia has a terrifying nightmare, and wakes up both scared and upset. Can Ichigo calm her down before she completely loses her composure? IchiRuki.


He looked so different; I almost couldn't tell it was him. The long, jagged black hair, the body wrapped in bandages from head to toe. No, it definitely wasn't Ichigo, it couldn't be.

But it was.

Although he looked completely different, there was one thing about him that remained the same: his eyes.

And even though I was so far away, I could still see them, illuminated with both fury and sadness.

Yes, this was Ichigo.

I knew it in my heart.

I watched as the fight between he and Aizen continued, the shockwaves from their powerful swings ricocheting through the valley and hitting every nerve in my body. It was quickly becoming clear that Ichigo's power was overwhelming his enemy, as his moves started to become slow and predictable. Within moments, the fight had ended, and Aizen's limp body lay trembling on the ground.

He did it. He actually did it.

Or so I thought

Aizen's 'lifeless' body rose, still weak from the blow it suffered. I stared intensely as I felt Ichigo's spiritual pressure drop gradually.

He was losing his powers.

"Run, Ichigo! Get out of here!" I yelled.

But no sound came from my mouth.

I screamed louder, but still, nothing.

"What's happening?" I thought to myself as my vision slowly faded to black.

"Ichigo!" I shouted, my voice lost in the darkness.

"Goodbye Rukia…thank you."

I blinked at the sound of his echoing voice, only to see him standing before me, staring sadly at the sky. I didn't understand…why was he saying goodbye?

"Ichigo, look at me." I said to him, not getting a response.

"Damn it, Ichigo! Look at me!" I screamed, lunging forward to force him to face me.

But before I got the chance, he faded away.

The buildings around me began to crumble.

The ground beneath my feet was gone.

And again, I fell into darkness.

But this time, I couldn't scream.

I couldn't breathe, or move.

I couldn't do anything but fall.

"I wonder what Rukia-chan's up to…"

The familiar voice echoed through my body, awakening my senses, bringing me back to life.

"Aren't you lonely?" asked the voice.

"….like hell I'd be."

XXXX

My eyes shot open as I bolted upright in my bed, my lungs starving for oxygen and my heart beating rapidly. My face was covered in beads of sweat, and I was shaking. I dug around for my cell phone,, and discovered it was three in the morning.

"I was…dreaming?" I said to myself.

"Hey…Rukia…everything alright?"

I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice coming from the other side of the closet door.

"Uh….y-yeah. I'm fine." I stammered.

"You're lying," he said, sliding the door open to look at me. "You were shouting in your sleep."

"I…was?" I asked, playing dumb. "I'm sorry, I guess I was just having a bad dream."

"What about?" Ichigo asked.

"You know…I can't really remember." I lied. "Let's just forget about it. Sorry I woke you."

"Rukia," he sighed before climbing into the closet and sitting next to me. "You know you can't keep things from me, so you might as well spill it."

"Fine," I said, defeated. "But you've got no right to make fun of me for it, got it?"

"Alright, deal." He said with a yawn.

"It's just…I had a dream that you lost all your powers and no matter how loud I screamed, you couldn't hear me."

"I lost my powers?" he asked.

"Well yeah, you were fighting Aizen and you had completely transformed into something…someone incredible. I couldn't even tell that I was you. You were terrifying."

"Was I wearing my hollow mask?"

"No, dummy. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not afraid of that stupid thing?"

"Alright, alright. I get it." He said, taken aback.

"Besides, I said you were terrifying. I never technically said I was afraid of you." I explained.

"Right,"

"Anyway, then there was this part where you were saying goodbye to me for some reason. I called out to you, but you didn't answer me. I even reached out for you, but you just…disappeared. Then, the next thing I know, I'm falling in darkness, and I hear you and Keigo talking about me. Keigo asked you if you were lonely and you…"

"And I…what?"

"You denied it," I said slowly.

"What do you mean I denied it?"

"I mean you flat out said 'like hell I'd be'! How the hell could you say something like that?"

"Hey, whoa, relax! Its not like I actually said it! It's your dream, remember?"

"The point here, Ichigo, is that it really hurt. I don't want you to ever forget me, you got that? And you'll never get the chance to be lonely because I'm never leaving you."

"Uh…Rukia…"

"And I know it was just a dream, and that it wasn't real, but it felt like it, and it really freaked me out."

"Rukia…"

"I mean, do you have any idea how much I care about you? Do you have any idea how much I worry? How much time I spend thinking about you while I'm away at the Soul Society?"

"Well, no, I-"

"I mean, we've been together for three months, Ichigo. And I know that's not really a lot of time, but I'm still terrified of losing you." I said softly, a little embarrassed at the words that just fled my mouth. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. I guess that stupid dream really screwed with my head."

"You seem more angry with what I said in the dream that anything else," he said.

"I guess…I really don't know what I'm feeling at the moment."

"Look, Rukia, you've got to understand something,"

"What is it?"

"You have to understand that I didn't mean what I said in the dream."

"…okay…."

"It was Keigo I was talking to, right? Do you honestly think I'd tell him anything?"

"…your point?"

"My point being that I was hiding my true feelings. Of course I'd be lonely without you, why wouldn't I be? Hell, I'd probably be a depressed, angst filled teenager if I couldn't see you anymore."

"You're right," I said with a playful smile.

"Then what are you so worked up about? It was just a dream."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But nothing. I'm not going anywhere any time soon, so you've got nothing to worry about." He said, climbing out of the closet and scooping me up in his arms.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he carried me away.

"You're sleeping in my bed tonight." He said.

"I am?" I asked with confusion.

"Yeah," he said. "I may not be able to protect you from everything, but right now, I'm going to do what I can to keep those nightmares from bothering you." He continued, placing me carefully down on his bed.

"And just how are you going to do that?"

"You'll see. You just have to trust me," He said, staring at me with a sweet smile, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.

XXXX

I woke up a few hours later to the sun shining brightly in my eyes. I yawned and tried to turn over to shield my eyes from the burning intensity that disturbed my sleep, only to discover that I couldn't move. Suddenly, I felt a small breeze tickle the nape of my neck, and turned my head to see what it was. It was then I had remembered the events of the night before. Ichigo had wrapped me tightly in his arms and whispered sweet, loving words in my ear until I had fallen asleep listening to both the sound of his voice and the sound of his heart beat. It was his way of proving to me that he really wasn't going anywhere and after all that, I believe him. He had promised to make the nightmares go away, and he did just that. Because I know now, without a doubt, that he'll always be around, and he'll be there whenever I need him the most.


End file.
